How does Food Alliance compare with organic on pesticides?
All farmers face threats to crops and animals from pests and disease. Food Alliance certification standards emphasize managing the farm in ways that help prevent the occurrence of pests and disease in the first place. As an example, farmers can rotate crops to prevent the build up of pest populations, or plant rows further apart to allow better air circulation to avoid problems with mildew. Food Alliance believes that if farmers and ranchers manage the land and agricultural cycles appropriately, they can reduce or even eliminate reliance on routine pest treatments. The national organic standard includes lists of hundreds of “allowable” and “prohibited” materials, including pesticides, fertilizers and animal treatments. The difference is defined largely by whether the material is derived from natural or synthetic sources. Organic farmers do use pest treatments, but only those derived from natural sources. That is not to say that those allowable inputs do not pose risks to human health o
